Lovell faces unjust sacking

The Livingston captain could be dismissed by his club for doing nothing more than answering questions in a Sunday Times interview, writes Simon Buckland

PREMIERLEAGUE history will be made tomorrow when Stuart Lovell, the Livingston midfielder, is expected to be sacked for, in the club’s opinion, being too free with his speech in an interview with The Sunday Times. That verdict at an Almondvale disciplinary hearing would set a precedent that threatens to compromise every future interview you read with a footballer.

Lovell’s has the potential to be a test case with broad implications. Already players at Livingston are understood to have been reluctant to talk to the media following the disciplinary sanctions taken against Lovell for having the audacity to speak his mind about a club that, as its captain and longest-serving player, he cares about. The club’s over-reaction to Lovell’s reasoned explanation for a decline in performances this season has bemused all the players at Livingston who, contrary to reports, are firmly behind their colleague.